GCSEs 2019 support thread 4

[TacoLover]

The last one is almost full!

pointy Does she not need geography as well? I'm quite surprised. (From a basis of no knowledge).

Kitty sending hugs to you and your DS. I hope he gets his mojo back.

Dd is interested in law (but not as degree) her work experience (week after next) is at a law firm so we'll see how that goes. I suspect she may do politics at university. That said a law firm that came to her careers day told her about law apprenticeship which sounded interesting.

Oh kitty

My big strapping (nearly) 16 year old asked for a hug this morning :(

He's just exhausted.

Thank you all for your perspectives over the GCSE period. I have not contributed much but have been an avid reader. I've had DD A levels and DS GCSE this year. DD no trouble, just gets on - DS that's another story! Giving him credit he has worked hard but has needed so much support - I really think I've given my life to him since before Easter! and I certainly DO NOT get hugs (grunts mmorelike). I am a teacher and I promise there are times when it doesn't help at all - do not think we have all the answers and our children are perfect students, we are as much in the dark as others at times. I realised today that it could have been worse - my form are Y10 this year OMG if they'd been Y11 too..........

DD has wanted to be an actress all her life. Something that I have supported, but for the obvious reasons always worried about. She was wedded to applying for Drama schools up to about a year ago, when something/someone changed her mind and she has decided to go to go the Uni route first, and try to pick somewhere with lots of drama going on that she join.

So, she now has decided on a degree in Ancient and Modern History, or History with Ancient modules, and if the drama doesn't work out, then becoming a teacher . Curve ball.

As with the acting being a tough choice, she has now set her sights on Oxford. I will encourage and support her, but again, this is going to be a tough ride. It was never easy, and is getting harder and harder. This has added to her GCSE stress. She is already talking about what she can do this summer to support her application. My DD doesn't make life easy for herself, that's for sure.

morning.
ds thought AQA biology triple was really horrible paper, very hard, very obscure topics. Don't know how that will have gone then.
Eng was 'fine'

We had drama though. He goes on the train. Trains often 5-10 minutes late, but they have 30 minutes spare, so not problem.They get cancelled only once or twice a year. Deal is, I sit in the car park in the car till train has left. If train is cancelled, it would be tight in the car as we pass lots of rush hour traffic. Train is 30 minute journey.
Friday morning, I am working away, left at 6:30, my friend kindly dropped them at station, ds's friend's dad was supposed to be on hand to emergency car trip.
Train cancelled. Friend phones dad - dad not available
Fortunately they just got in a taxi. I would not have thought of that (really don't know why) I think ds phoned dh, so dh might have said get taxi) Taxi arrived in good time.

I found all this out when I got in late last night!

Ds concurs step

Art gcse NEA results confused?? Edexcel board please help us work out what we achieved ??

My daughter does Edexcel art ROZ12 and says she won't know her grade until August so I'm not sure about anything online. We've not been told by teachers about grades online. Hope someone else can advise you. My daughter didn't follow letter format through properly in Eng Lang yesterday and is upset as it was an a level choice. Roll on next Friday!

Kitty sorry to hear your DS is feeling low. It's so much pressure for them. Hopefully he can recharge over the weekend.

Step what a nightmare with the train. Last thing the children need. Glad that the taxi worked out!

In the DRM household DS has crashed out again. Went to bed early and is still in bed as I type. I've tried to lure him out with a promise of his favourite "breakfast" (if that's even the right term at this point in the day) but I'm just getting grunted at through the door that he's catching up on lost sleep. So basically I've decided to leave him to it. I'm sure his stomach will win out eventually in the battle to get him out of bed.

Thankfully no dramas here about A Levels choices. DS has known what he wanted to do before even starting his GCSE's. He's a self proclaimed science nerd (and proud of it) so it was only ever going to be maths, further maths, physics and computer science.

He's on track to get top grades for those subjects, they only (very real) concern is if he can get the required grade for English Lang/Lit (a 5) that his school insists on for 6th form entry regardless of what subjects he wants to study.

As brilliant as he is at sciences and maths in particular, he struggles hugely with English and RE - like the flip side of the coin. So we ironically face the possibility of him getting top grades for his A Level choices but being denied entry to 6th form on the basis of a subject he doesn't want to pursue.

He's stressed about it but we keep saying we will cross that bridge if it comes to it. I'm obviously hoping he's done enough in English for it not to be an issue but if not then re-sits are probably on the cards unless the school take a pragmatic approach that it's bonkers to turn away a pupil under such circumstances. Tbh I'm also worried that re-sits wouldn't help - I'm not sure he (and we) can do any more than he's already done.

It feels awful that so many children are in the same position and a couple of questions here are there have the potential to be life changing and/or impacting on their aspirations and ability to stay at the same school as their friends.

Thank you , I’m sorry to hear you DD’s eng lang didn’t go well . It’s awful I know, my DD has been crying she won’t get her 6 in maths and won’t be able to do Biology A level .

Regarding the Art it’s the coursework and external assessment grdes we received yesterday. Hoping someone can help us?

Thank you everyone for your kind words- he’s feeling a bit more perky after a good nights sleep. At least Chemistry Paper 2 and Physics Paper 2 have his more preferred topics in.

ROZ12 not art but DS did DT - he has a mark for his NEA (50% of gcse) but we won’t know till Results day how this relates to an actual grade.

For those doing Edexcel Maths Maths Genie has put up a predicted topics Paper for Paper 3.

Both DD's 6th forms start them off with 4, down to 3 after a year.

She's starting with Art, Maths, Physics and French.

To clarify - both 6th form options. She's not planning to attend 2....

Ha ha Keep, 8 A levels at 2 sixth forms would at least give lots of options!

Now, where is that Hermione Time turner when you need it??

DRM - ds's sixth form asks for 5 in Eng Lang too, ds is maths/physics and not good at English. He did say that he had heard that if you get good grades in the maths /physics, they may negotiate on the Eng, but we don't have any proof of that!

I'm hoping he has done enough.

Sounds like we are in the same boat Step.

Fingers crossed they'll both be ok, but likewise I am hoping the school will "negotiate" if it comes to it.

Also worried about the implications for Uni if I'm honest. Still it's done now so will just have to wait and see. He couldn't of tried harder for English (though he needs to get his act together re: Chemistry this weekend) so I'll be proud regardless.

Thanks kittymckitty ! It’s a wait and see then.

Teen she needs a second science. Physics and Chemistry are out. School doesn't offer Geography A level, otherwise we would be going for that one. But quite a few unis will accept Psychology (we have researched this), so it's our only realistic option. It's frustrating, because DD2 really likes Geography.

School doesn't offer geography A level?!

Change schools? Seems a shame to compromise on A level choice.

(I know it's easier said than done, and might not be practical. I'm in Hants where we have gigantic 6th form colleges, so (very nearly)everyone moves on from secondary and more or less all options are available.)

Changing schools really isn't an option. Around here (West Suffolk) we have the opposite model to yours - schools have their own 6th form, all other options are colleges and they're exclusively vocational. The only 6th form where the full range of options is available would involve a 45 minute bus journey each way, a strict uniform code (local 6th form has no uniform), it's Catholic (DD2 is out gay) and the kicker - its results are significantly less good than at our own school's 6th form.

The other 2 local 6th forms are awful. Compromise is really our only option, and Psychology plus an EPQ on sharks should get us there.

Makes sense.